Carpet-stretcher.



G. L. NOLL.

I CARPET STRETGHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Cir

UNITED STATES PATEN T FETCH.

GEORGE L. NOLL, 0F WINCHESTER, KANSAS.

CARPET-STRETCHER.

943,199. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 27, 1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909. Serial No. 498,667.

To all whom it may concern: I ened portion 6 of the frame intermediatethe Be it known that I, GEORGE L. NoLL, a citilegs, being held parallelwith the cross arm. zen of the United States, residing at Win- Securedto the inner face of the cross arm chester, in the county of Jeffersonand State in any preferred manner is a plate 7, having of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful an upstanding tongue 8 provided with aCarpet-Stretcher, of which the following is transverse opening adaptedto engage a pivot a specification. pin 9. This pivot pin projects oneither My invention relates to carpet stretchers side of the upstandingtongue and engages and has for an object to provide a device of the eyesof the metal strips 10 secured to the this cha 'acter which will stretchthe carpet lateral faces of the operating lever 11, adj acvenly from onebase board to the opposite cent its end. By this construction the leverbase board and when placed in operative pois pivotally attached to thecross arm, and sition securely lock itself to that position. has itsmovement limited by the straightened Another object is to provide adevice of portion (3 of the support. The operating this character whichwill have no hooks to lever is of any desired length and terminatespenetrate the floor or base board of a room in a rounded portion 12,constituting a conand will preserve the wood Work of a room venient gripfor the hand of the operator. free from scratches and scars. Engagingthe operating lever is a Still another object is to provide a deviceU-shaped clamp 13 having a pivot pin 1% of this character which caneasily and adapted to pivotally secure the operating quickly be adjustedto operative position in lever 11, and a transverse bolt 15, the screwany sized room and will permit the operthreaded shank of which carries anut 16. ator to freely move about after being so acl- The bolt 15loosely engages an opening justed. formed in the end of the extensionrod 17 \Vith these and other objects in view of the stretcher andpivotally secures this which will be described in the followingextension rod in the clamp, the nut 16 of the specification and setforth in the claim, my clamp being removable therefrom to permitinvention embraces the structure illustrated the detachment of theextension rod from in the accompanying drawing, wherein: the clamp inorder that the device may be Figure l is a plan view of the device inpacked in a minimum amount of space when operative position. Fig. 2 is aside elevation not in use. It is evident that both the lever of thedevice in final or operative position and the extension rod arepivotally secured and showing the first position dotted. Figs. togetherand that as the lever is raised or 3, 4t, and 5 are detail views of thedevices for lowered, the extension rod will correspondholding themembers of the stretcher in the ingly be pulled backward or pushedforoperative position. ward.

In a more detailed description of my in Positioned on the extension rod17 adjavention, wherein like characters of reference cent the U-clamp 13is a locking device 18 designate similar parts wherever they occur,adapted to embrace the extension rod and a carpet stretcher is shownhaving at one operating lever, and being bowed inward end a working headcomprising a cross arm at substantially its middle portion 19 to 1provided on one of its lateral faces with conform to the outline of theoperating lever stops 2, adapted to bear against the base and extensionrod. The terminals of the board of a room and provide a cushion forlocking device are contracted adjacent the the arm as well as a yieldingpad to prevent ends to form clamping portions 20 that the defacement ofthe base board when in spring over the operating lever when seatedfrictional contact therewith. These stops in the locking device andclamp it in place may be made of rubber, felt or any fabric untilreleased by the hand of the operator. which has a yielding quality.Secured to Slidingly fitted on the extension rod 17 the opposite lateralface of the cross arm 1 is a clamp 21 that embraces the main rod arc eyescrews 3 that loosely engage the ter- 22 adjacent its end and clamps themain rod minals l of a frame constituting a support and extension rodtightly together. To acfor the cross arm. The frame is referablycomplish this the clamp is provided with a made of stiff wire and isbowed cownward transverse bolt 23, the screw threaded end adjacent theends to form legs 5 that elevate of which carries an adjusting nut 24that the cross arm above the floor, the straightoperates to adjust theclamp, and accomplish the objects sought in a practical manner.

Slidingly fitted to the extension rod 17 adjacent its end is a clamp 25similar in construction to the clamp 21 above described and whichembraces the main rod and clamps it tightly to the extension rod. Bythis arrangementit is evident that the clamps 21 and 25 may be slid toany portion of the extension rod and the main rod clamped in thisposition in order to adjust the carpet stretcher to various sized rooms.

The main rod 22 is of a suitable thickness to engage and slidingly fitthe clamps carried on the extension rod and is terminally adapted tosecure a transverse working head 26. This working head may be secured tothe main rod 23 in any desired manner, the connection between the partsin this instance being effected by a goose neck bar 27 provided at oneend with bolts 28 for engagement with openings formed adjacent the endof the main rod 22, and at the other with a transverse rod 29, providedwith a plurality of screws or other connectors for engaging the innerlateral face of the transverse working head 26. This working head 26 isprovided on its lower face with a plurality of teeth 30 for engaging acarpet and which are of a size to penetrate sufliciently to prevent anytendency to work out and tear the warp of the carpet.

In the operation of this carpet stretcher the cushioned working head isplaced against the base board with the wire legs resting on the floor.The main rod is then slid along the extension rod until the toothedworking head of the stretcher is in the desired position, when theclamps are tightened, thus holding the rods secured in the desiredposition. The toothed head is then placed in engagement with the edge ofthe carpet about to be tacked and the operating lever is shoved home.This causes the pivoted end of the extension rod to be depressed and thetoothed head forced outward, thus stretchin g a portion of the carpetequal to the width of the carpet in length and to the width of ingdevice when the toothed working head in breadth, the end of whichportion may now be tacked down and the carpet stretcher advanced and theoperation repeated. The operating lever a fter being shoved home willenter the lockthe clamping portions will spring over and lock it in thisposition until released by the operator, thus permitting the operator tofreely move about after the device is set in operative position. In thisway the carpet is evenly stretched, as the toothed head stretches thecarpet from the opposite tacked down side and thus obviates one of thedifficulties experienced in the use of the usual form of carpetstretcher, namely, the carpet. being stretched too loose in one placeand too tight in another, due to the stretcher only stretching thatportion of the carpet adjacent the toothed head.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, it is thought that the construction and operationof the invention will be easily understood without a more extendedexplanation, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportion and minor details of construction may be made withoutsacrificing any of the advantages or departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

A carpet stretcher having terminal working heads and adjustableintermediate connecting members, one of said working heads beingprovided with a depending frame having spaced bearing portionsconstituting legs, the other having teeth adapted to en gage a carpet,and an operating lever assem bled with said connecting members andadapted to yieldingly hold the parts in operative position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE L. NOLL.

\Vitnesses C. D. DAVIS, CHAS. G. Borne.

